


New apartments bring stories with them

by the_toadlet



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Don't Kill Me, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, dan's a ghost, mentions of drug abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-06-08 06:14:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6842206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_toadlet/pseuds/the_toadlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>good lord kill me</p><p>Dan's a ghost.</p><p>Phil moves into a new apartment.</p><p>(lots of random un-answered questions i'm so sorry)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 'Perfect!'

Phil glanced around the empty lounge. He knew where everything would go, the cacti and the plushies. Louise stood behind the raven headed man as he spun slowly.  
" Louise, this is my new apartment." Louise raised her eyebrows.  
" After just half an hour looking around? Are you sure?" Phil completely skipped over the sarcastic tone in Louise's voice and nodded enthusiastically.  
" Yeah! The stairs provide the amount of exercise I need," Louise nodded at that. " and I love the kitchen and the bedroom is big enough and there is even a spare!" Phil rambled off the ways the apartment was perfect until Louise stopped him, laughing.  
" I get it, Phil! You love this apartment! Calm down!" Phil smiled sheepishly at Louise. His brilliant blue eyes made Louise soften a bit. " Phil, you want this apartment, great. We'll find the landlord and figure it out, kay?" Louise swept her blonde and pink hair out of her face and grinned at Phil, who was a full head taller than she was.  
\---  
Phil would move in on Friday. He and Louise were currently packing up his various items and plants. So many plants. Phil was staying at Louise's apartment for the moment, because after Uni he hadn't had any place to go, but Louise had decided that it was time to boot him out into the real world. So Phil went apartment hunting(Louise hadn't allowed Phil to wear his Sherlock outfit). And finally, finally, Phil had found the perfect apartment. It was small, and it had a ton of stairs, but Phil needed the exercise anyway.  
" PHIL! Where do the catuses go?"  
" Cacti! In the box with the ferns!"  
" How many bloody plants do you even have?!" In Phil's opinion, he never had enough house plants. That's why he kept bringing home plants, until he didn't even know how many littered the place.  
" All of them!"  
" I can see that! Sheesh!" Phil chuckled at Louise's reaction as he searched for a sock under his bed. He didn't care if his socks matched, in fact he preferred when they didn't, but he still had to find them eventually. He didn't want to, the dust was making him sneeze violently, but Phil knew that if he left even one sock here Louise would give him hell for it. And Phil really didn't want that to happen. It had happened once before, and he never wanted to repeat that ever again. Louise had tied the offending sock to a pole and put it in a pot of dirt in front of his door and tweeted a picture to him and then sent him about eighteen texts about it. Then proceeded to text all of their acquaintances to do the same. Phil had never lived that one down. Doubt he ever will.  
\---  
Phil was nearly vibrating with excitement- it was Friday. He and Louise were going to lug all his boxes of random shit up to his very own apartment.  
" Lou! Are you up yet?"  
" Phil, sweetie, it's like eight. I'm surprised you're up, actually, but we're not going until ten. Go back to bed."  
" I can't!" Phil pouted. Louise kicked him out to Starbucks to get coffee, and so he'd stop bothering her. The few hours passed slowly, but Phil was finally rewarded in his wait. Louise helped him drag up the boxes, and Phil immediately started unpacking. He put everything were he had envisioned, and was not disappointed. The entire apartment simply reeked of Phil's personality. He had started with his room, putting anime and books on the white bookshelves. He spread the blue-green duvet on the wicker framed bed, putting his treasured lion on the night stand beside it. He also placed one of his favorite books with Lion, to read later that night. Phil started to work around, placing cacti and ferns as he saw fit. He put a tiny stuffed wombat on top of the fridge, laughing as he positioned it to stare at any one who entered the tiny kitchen.  
About half-way through Phil's decorating adventure, Louise texted him. Phil put the fern in the window next to the Furby, and checked his phone.  
From: Lou :)  
' hey i did some research on your new place and apparently the last person committed suicide there just thought you'd like to know '  
Phil felt his blood run cold. Suicide? In his apartment? Phil was a bit unnerved. Why did they commit suicide? Where in his apartment? How? Phil sat with a plop on the grey sofa in the lounge, his thoughts running at a million miles per hour. Who was it? Were they nice? Could he have stopped it? Phil felt guilt blanket him. Phil always had that problem, feeling guilty for extremely odd things. He had once felt guilty about dropping a spoon. He felt sorry for the spoon, of all things. So when someone he had never met had committed suicide in an apartment he had, he felt guilty for not stopping it. Not because he was disturbing his peace, not at all, but that he could have saved them. Phil sighed dramatically. He was also really good at that. Phil decided feeling guilty could wait until the next day, though, when he checked the time on his phone and saw how late it was getting. Phil stood and stretched, hearing and feeling his back pop. Phil walked slowly down the hall toward his room, turning off lights as he went. Phil reached his room and was about to turn off the light when he stopped suddenly. There was someone sitting on his bed. Reading his book.  
" Gah! Who are you?!" Phil said/shouted. The person looked up, gave a startled yelp and vanished. Full on vanished. The book the ghost(Phil realised it was, in fact, a ghost.) was reading hit the bed with a soft thump, staying open to the page the ghost was on. Phil stood shell-shocked for a moment, his eyes comically wide as he stared at the book sitting on the bed. There had been a ghost in his room. A ghost. Phil guessed he had to believe in them now, after there was one in his apartment. Was that the person who had committed suicide? He was surprisingly young, maybe a few years younger than Phil. He had brown fringe going the other way than his own, and he had on a completely black outfit, a tee-shirt and skinny jeans. Phil started. There was a ghost in his apartment. Should he try to make contact with it? Phil shook his head. He'd figure it out later. In the meantime, the least he could do is save the page the ghost was on.  
Phil ruffled through a box until he found a bookmark to put in the book. He gently slid the stiff paper into the book and shut it, placing it with shaking hands on to the dresser. Should he call Louise about this? Yes.  
\---  
Louise didn't believe him, but that was expected. If Louise had called Phil in near hysterics claiming a ghost was reading her literature, Phil wouldn't believe it either. But what Phil didn't expect was Louise asking if he was high.  
" Lou! You know I've never done drugs in my entire life, and I'm not about to start!"  
" I know, but a ghost? That's pretty unlikely, Phil."  
" Lou, can you just send me a picture of the suicidal person?"  
" Yes, but I still don't believe you. Okay, so the kid's name was Dan Howell, he's a few years younger than you. I'm emailing you a photo."  
" Thanks, Louise. I don't know what I'd do without you."  
" Probably die, knowing you. Go get some sleep, kay?" Louise lightly teased Phil, but Phil understood. Louise was trying to calm him down.  
" You too, Lou. Thank you again."  
" Okay, g'night."  
" G'night." Phil looked down at his phone after he hung up, then checked his email. Louise had indeed pulled through and sent him photos of this 'Dan'. Phil nearly dropped his phone as he stared at the person who had been reading his book. Dan Howell. Ghost.


	2. ' Hi.'

There was a ghost in Phil's new apartment. Phil had absolutely no idea how to deal with it, but Phil sure wasn't going to run away because there was someone he didn't know in his apartment. It was like the dorms in Uni, right? But his flatmate was dead this time. That might make things a bit difficult.  
Phil was searching the internet for the fabled Dan Howell. He was four years younger than Phil, had an emo haircut, and liked memes from the tumblr page Phil stumbled upon. Phil chuckled a bit at the name Dan had given himself on social media. Danisnotonfire, indeed! Phil looked through Dan's tumblr and twitter, raising his eyebrow at the following list. His name was on there. Phil stopped smiling. That's why the username sounded familiar. Dan was a fanboy. Crud. Crud, crud, crud. Phil scrambled backwards, away from the computer, his hand already dialing Louise.  
" 'Ello?"  
" Lou! It's worse than I thought!"  
" Phil, wha...? Oh, your ghost. What about him is worse?"  
" He was a fan! He commented on all my videos, and he died in a particularly long gap between videos! I could've stopped him! If I had posted sooner..."  
" Then he'd still be dead. Phil, you've got to stop blaming yourself for this! It's not your fault! You didn't even know him! There's nothing you could've done!" Louise was done. Phil had been calling her in the middle of the night, guilt-ridden, for the past few days he had lived in the apartment, and Louise had listened less and less patiently. Phil had apparently found her breaking point. " Phil, I get it. You feel like you could've helped. But he's dead now, so it doesn't matter. Just stop stressing out about it." Louise softened at the end, knowing how Phil was. He didn't take to angry words well.  
" I know, I just... " Phil didn't realise there were tears running down his cheeks until he wiped them off. Why had Dan killed himself? Could he have done anything? What had happened?  
" Phil? Honey, are you okay?" Louise broke Phil's depressing train of thought.  
" Lou, I'll call you back later, okay?"  
" Um, okay? Phil-" Phil hung up and set his phone on the desk in front of him, resting his head in his hands and letting the tears flood his vision. How had it come to this, Phil sobbing over a fan he had never known? Phil wondered at the state of his life if he was able to spend time lollygagging instead of doing stuff on youtube. Phil would worry about that later.  
\---  
Dan felt incredibly guilty for scaring Phil like that a few days ago. He honestly hadn't meant to, Dan just forgot that after he died people might live in his apartment at some point. So when Dan had floated through a wall into one of the bedrooms, he was surprised to find stuff in it. The book Phil had placed on the nightstand had piqued his interest, and it was better that he thought it would be. It was very intense, and Dan was at a very suspenseful part when Phil had walked into the room. Dan recognized Phil immediately, of course, Dan was Philtrash #1, but his reaction was incredibly badly thought out. Disappearing? That probably freaked him out more than seeing some random stranger reading his book in his room. Dan had watched as Phil had stood in the doorway, completely shocked, before marking Dan's place. AmazingPhil had actually saved Dan complete nobody Howell's place. Dan still couldn't believe it.  
" Lou, I'll call you back later, okay?" Dan heard Phil hang up the phone. Then... crying? That couldn't be right. This was AmazingPhil, the ray of sunshine that had kept Dan from killing himself years earlier. Of course, that was before he admitted he was bi-sexual and the bulling started. Nothing anyone could've done would have stopped him. Not even Phil could've saved him, and Dan didn't know why Phil blamed himself. Dan was nothing to Phil, Phil had never even met him. So why was Phil crying? Dan floated( he still loved floating) through the wall and saw Phil sitting at the desk in the office, head buried in his arms and shoulders shaking.  
" It's not your fault." Phil's head shot up. Was he hearing things now? Dan's hands flew up to his mouth. He really didn't mean to say that out loud. Dan was glad he was still invisible, he was sure he was dark red now. Dan quickly retreated. He didn't want to confront Phil right now. He knew Phil had been researching him, and Dan was confident Phil knew he was Philtrash #1. After all, Dan had heard the conversation between Phil and Louise.  
\---  
Phil was very sure he had heard some one tell him it wasn't his fault. But that was impossible, right? Phil laughed grimly. A few days ago he had thought ghosts were impossible, but wasn't he proven wrong on that! Phil walked into his bathroom and looked into the mirror. A tired and stressed looking man stared back at him. Phil sighed, ruffling his already messy black fringe. What was Phil doing? He really should just listen to Louise and let it go already. But Phil knew he couldn't when an image of the attractive brown haired man on his bed reading passed over his vision. Phil would get the boy's story, whether the ghost wanted him to or not. And Phil doubted the ghost would want to tell him his story at all. Phil knew what he was going to do about it, though.  
\---  
Dan was in the lounge when Phil left the apartment in a rush. Where was he going at that rate? Dan blinked and sat up incredibly strait(for him). He would try to convince Phil that Dan was the best ghost he could've possible gotten.  
Dan floated through the walls, ignoring the obstacles as he passed through them. He arrived in the kitchen and smiled in satisfaction. It was a complete pigsty, but that was exactly what Dan wanted. Dan drifted to the sink and started to fill it with sudsy water. He would clean every dish in the entire apartment if it killed him. Starting with the stacks of plates on the counter. Dan started to dip the plates and scrub them, incredibly glad that ghosts didn't have nearly the level of nerve endings live people did. So he could feel the plates, but the gross moldy slime was less noticeable.  
Dan was almost done scrubbing the counter when Phil came home. Dan smirked at the domestic-y ness of the situation as he finished with a final scrub and put the sponge on the edge of the sink. Dan vanished as Phil walked into the kitchen.  
\---  
Phil had gone on a very awkward shopping trip to get an Ouija board to try and communicate with Dan. Phil had very limited knowledge of ghosts, but he was pretty sure that ghosts could only communicate through Ouija boards. So Phil had gone out and tried to find an Ouija board without to many questions attached. Unfortunately, that had taken far longer than Phil planned. So when Phil got home, where he was planning on at least cleaning a mug for coffee the next day, he really did not expect a sparkly clean kitchen. Phil stood in the doorway of the kitchen, the bag containing the Ouija board on the ground and Phil's mouth open comically.  
" Um." Phil was at a complete loss for words. Did Dan do this? Why? How? Could ghosts even do that? Apparently so. Phil leaned slightly to the right to pick up the bag he dropped upon first seeing the kitchen, and headed off towards the spare bedroom. It didn't have anything in it, so it should be perfect.  
\---  
A while and some failed matches later, Phil sat in the middle of the floor in the spare bedroom, nice smelling candles around him. Phil drew in a deep breath, and flickered the candles when he let it out.  
" Uh, Dan? I don't really know you, or at all really, but, um, I think you know who I am. Erm, I think I'm doing this wrong, but, can you, like, come and use this thing to speak to me or something?" Phil had no idea what he was doing, but he really hoped it would work. After all, Phil did have a way of attracting strange people and being dead couldn't get ant stranger, right?  
Dan tried desperately not to giggle as he watched Phil totally fail at summoning him. " Hey." Dan appeared in front of Phil, who's eyes widened beyond normal limits.  
" Gah!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I got pretty good feedback from my last chapter, so here's the next one! It's kinda long, but I like it. Hope you enjoy, and please comment/kudos if you want me to write more! Love y'all, have a great day/week/life!


	3. ' How even?'

Phil scrambled backwards from the Ouija board. How was there a ghost talking to him? Ghosts were only supposed to be able to communicate with him through the Ouija board. But there was indeed proof that, this ghost at least, ghosts could actually talk to him. Why though? He had various opportunities to do so before, but he waited until now. Why? Phil must have looked terrified, because the ghost laughed.  
" Scared of me, AmazingPhil?" Phil's eyes widened when he heard that voice, that sweet, innocent, lovely, articulate voice coming from the ghost floating in front of him. The ghost of the fanboy who had died, and Phil blamed himself for. Was he hyperventilating? Huh. Interesting. Phil closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. It simply wouldn't do to have a panic attack with a guest floating around. Who was Phil kidding? Of course it was okay to have a panic attack when the guest was dead. " Hey? Are you okay?"  
" No, I'm not. You're a ghost. You're dead. Am I supposed to be okay?" Phil opened one eye to see the ghost floating cross legged about four centimeters above the ground, his brow furrowed in concern.  
" Well, that's true. But, you kinda wanted me to talk to you, you did summon me, after all." Phil closed his eye again and groaned.  
" Through the board! Through the goddamn board!"  
" Wow, bit more profanic in real life, then?"  
" These are desperate measures!" Phil was developing a bit of a headache.  
" What, a fan talking to you?" Phil could feel the smirk on the boy, eyes closed or not. It was an indefinable smirky-ness that simply radiated from the ghost.  
" A dead fan, yes!"  
" Hey, I may be dead, but that doesn't mean I don't have feelings and stuff! I'm not Tom Riddle!" Phil smiled a little against his will. Not Tom Riddle?  
" You're not Voldemort?"  
" I have a nose, thank you!" Phil opened his eyes and stopped rubbing his nose. He was quite sure it was red now. There was indeed a smirk playing along the ghost's lips. Phil thought it was adorable, and he hated it. He thought the dead boy floating in the spare room was cute? Great. That didn't complicate anything! Especially when Louise didn't believe in ghosts.  
" Okay, let's start this over, nose-bearing ghost. Hi, I'm Phil, but you know that already, don't you?" The ghost nodded.  
" I'm Daniel Howell, I go by Dan,but as you've been doing research I figure you know that. And that I am indeed a fan, and I am dead."  
" I guessed that last part, yeah, and how do you know I've been doing research?" Dan raised an eyebrow.  
" Um, you've been muttering about it and calling a Miss Louise, not to mention you're in my office. And you sob about it in the middle of the night. I don't blame you, you know." Phil stared, agape, at Dan, turning a little pink at the middle of the night sobbing bit. How did Dan know that?  
" How.....?" Dan snorted.  
" Um, I'm a ghost? I can be invisible, you know. And pass through walls."  
" Oh. Right. How did you die, if you don't mind my asking?"  
" I don't mind, and I poisoned myself with a painkiller." Phil flinched.  
" That sounds like a terrible way to go, just by the way. Why?"  
" Why painkillers, or why did I kill myself?"  
" Both, but why you did it first."  
" It doesn't matter now, but I came out as bi-sexual and people started making my life worse than hell, so I figured hell would be better than the life I lead then. Pain killers because I couldn't feel it." Phil was absolutely horrified. Why would people do that? That was awful! How evil could you get?  
" That's terrible! I wish I could have helped!"  
" How, Phil? How?"  
" I could've beat them up or something!"  
" Sorry to break it to you, but you really couldn't have. You have about the arm strength of a moth." Phil tried to look disappointed, but it was hard. Dan had a giant grin on his face, and that dimple was to die for. So Phil instead opted to smile back, feeling the remaining fear he had dissipate.  
\---  
Dan and Phil were still in the spare bedroom, bursts of laughter ringing out occasionally. Phil's phone rang impatiently, but Phil couldn't hear it. Dan proved to be much more interesting that Phil expected, sharing many common interests and ideas.  
" So, giraffes are aliens? I can see that." Dan pondered a minute. Alien giraffes? They certainly looked the part. Fascinating.  
" Right? The little horn nubs on their head just solidify the theory even more." Phil was incredibly excited about it. Why? Because even if he was a ghost, Dan was awesome. He was very similar to Phil, and he would be a great friend if he wasn't dead. Phil frowned suddenly.  
" Hey, what is it? You suddenly got all sad." Phil blinked at Dan.  
" You're a ghost. Can we even be friends if you're dead?" Dan's eyebrows shot up dramatically. What a question. Could they be friends? Woah. "Dan! You're disappearing!" Dan almost laughed at how panicked Phil sounded. " Yeah, It happens when I want too, or I'm really deep in thought or emotion. I'm fine as I can be, being dead." Dan sounded decidedly monotone, Phil could tell his question had gotten to him.  
" Hey, I don't care if you're dead. You are totally my friend now." Phil smiled a bit at the floating boy, who looked startled.  
" I... Thank you." Dan smiled shyly. " I haven't had a real friend for a while, so that means a lot." Phil looked surprised, then a bit sad.  
" I realised a disadvantage to you being a ghost."  
" Oh?"  
" I can't give you hugs."  
\---  
Dan was completely blown away. Phil, the AmazingPhil, actually considered him his friend and wanted to get to know Dan. Dan sighed happily. He and Phil had talked way too late into the night, and Phil would have been fine with that if he hadn't remembered that he had to film a video the next day. So Dan had said goodnight and vanished. He really wanted to know Phil better, but live people actually had to get sleep. That sucked. Oh well, they could talk tomorrow. So Dan decided to do what any self respecting ghost would do- stay up all night on Phil's computer. Hello Wiki!  
\---  
Dan regretted nothing. Oh, the first couple of articles on Wikipedia were a little scary, but when Dan found the article on resurrecting ghosts, and it actually made sense, it was a gold mine. All they had to do was get a couple of things, somehow find a witch to brew a certain portion or teach them how to, and reverse the reason Dan died. Simple enough.  
" PHIL! I found something!"  
" Wha...?" Phil's sleepy voice was the sweetest thing Dan had ever heard. He had to resist cooing at how adorable it was, and instead laughed.  
" We can resurrect me!"  
" I have no idea what you just said, Dan." Phil was leaning against the door frame, his glasses on crooked and his hair standing up in almost a perfect quiff. Dan swiveled in chair and giggled.  
" We can resurrect me! I can come back to life!" Phil blinked, then absolutely lit up with the biggest smile Dan had ever seen.  
" Come here and let me kinda hug you!"  
" Kinda hug?" Dan floated upwards anyway, and Phil stood up straighter.  
" Yeah! Like I put my arms around you and hug were you should be!" Phil walked the two steps to were Dan was still floating, gently putting his arms were the boy would have been.  
" Thank you." Dan whispered. He could barely feel Phil's arms, but they were there and it was the best thing ever.  
Resurrecting could wait if only this could last.


	4. ' We'll get you back if it kills us!'

Phil broke away from the hug way too soon, in Dan's opinion. Oh well, it couldn't last forever.  
Phil grinned broadly at the boy floating in front of him. He was so cute. Phil crinkled his nose.  
" So what do we have to do to get you back to life so I can give you a real hug? That was not a real hug." Dan nodded, then turned around. Phil tried to keep himself from checking out the adorable ass he was presented with. It was hard. Dan turned around to see Phil staring directly up.  
" Um, Phil?" Phil looked down immediately, turning slightly pink. " We need a couple of herbs, and some crushed bone from..." Dan turned back around It couldn't hurt to look for just a second, right? " A gila monster!" Phil thankfully looked up before Dan turned around, but what could he say? Dan had a cute butt.  
" What herbs? I mean, we can probably just order the gila monster bones, but are the herbs super rare or something?" Dan sat down, and Phil went over to lean on the back of the chair to see the computer screen. Dan was looking up some plant called 'Valeriana officinalis', and it looked interesting. " How much do we need?"  
" About four handfuls."  
" How much is a handful?"  
" I don't actually know, maybe a half cup?"  
" Sounds fair."  
" It grows around here, actually. Lucky us." Phil nodded. They continued looking up herbs, some crazier than others, and Phil gave Dan a very odd look when he searched Arbrus precatorius.  
" Um, Dan? That's incredibly toxic. Like, super incredibly toxic." Dan looked at Phil and raised an eyebrow.  
" Yeah? It's one of the ingredients. We need about four of the berries." Phil looked absolutely horrified.  
" Dan, one berry is fatal. Why do we need four?" Dan shrugged.  
" I don't know. You wanted the ingredients, here they are." Dan was growing progressively colder, and Phil wasn't quite sure why. Was it something he said?  
" Dan, did I do something wrong?" Dan jumped. Where had that come from?  
" What?"  
" Well, you're starting to act weird, and I don't know why. Did I do something wrong?" Dan looked at Phil with an expression of bemusement.  
" I'm just nervous. I'm sorry I scared you, you haven't done anything. I'm just tense, because I actually died. Like, I was a corpse on the floor. And they buried me. What do I do when I come back? 'Oh, sorry guys, I just passed out and disappeared for a while. No biggie!' Yeah, no, I was quite dead. I actually remember being dead, it was weird as fuck. I couldn't move at all, couldn't breath, but I didn't need too. It was actually terrifying. Phil, I don't know." Dan was incredibly defensive, but started shaking about halfway through. Phil was freaking out. Was Dan having a panic attack? What do you do when a ghost has a panic attack? Phil touched Dan's ghostly hand. Dan looked down at it, then up at Phil's face. Pearly tears were drifting down Dan's cheeks, and Phil reached his other hand and wiped them away.  
" You know what you tell them? You tell them the truth. And if they don't believe you, well, you'll have proof."  
" Proof?"  
" You'll be alive."  
\---  
Dan couldn't leave the apartment. They had found this out when Phil had left the apartment, then Dan had tried and cried out in complete agony. " Dan! Are you alright?" Phil turned around when Dan had screamed, but Dan couldn't seem to hear him. One hand was out the door, and it was... Fraying? Phil put his hand on Dan's, and felt an unbearable pain. He put all his effort on not screaming with the agony, and instead pushed Dan backwards, sighing with relief when Dan was back in the apartment and the pain was gone. Dan was trembling like a leaf, and Phil was incredibly concerned. He put the bag down inside the door, and lead Dan into the lounge.  
" I'm sorry." Dan whispered softly.  
" What? Why?" Phil looked at Dan, but Dan wasn't looking at him. He was looking at a spot beyond Phil's vision.  
" I'm so sorry! I'm so fucking sorry!" Dan burst into uncontrollable sobs, and Phil was completely bewildered and scared for the boy.  
" Dan..." Phil said gently. Dan gave a start and stared at Phil like a frightened dog. Phil's brow was furrowed in genuine fear and worry.  
" Why?" Phil almost couldn't hear the whisper.  
" I don't know, Dan. I don't know. Why were you saying you were sorry?" Dan hunched into himself a little.  
" I... I saw my grandma. She was yelling at me, asking me why I had killed myself, she doesn't understand, she never will, it was so awful," Dan was crying again, tears drifting from his eyes more like mist than water. Phil wrapped an arm around Dan, fighting to keep it above the back of the couch and actually around Dan's form.  
" Dan, we have to get you back." Dan nodded, tears still streaming. Phil sighed, then stood up. Dan jumped, then watched as Phil put in a Studio Ghibli film. Dan relaxed a little as it started playing. Phil nodded as he saw Dan visibly relax. That was a good place to start. Phil dug through his movie collection, pulling out various animes and Shrek. It would have to last a while, because Phil was leaving to camp the night and collect the magic herbs. Phil wrote a quick note to Dan, and left it on the table. He quietly left the apartment and set off to do the thing.  
\---  
Phil struggled up the plant covered slope. It was a sweltering 30 degrees celsius(86 f), and Phil regretted the skinny jeans. They didn't breath well. Phil was a bit concerned about Dan. What if he had another breakdown? What if he tried to leave the apartment again? Phil pulled out his phone, frantically typing a message to Louise.  
To: Lou :)  
'Lou, can you go too my apartment and water my plants im camping? thanks x'  
From: Lou :)  
'you and your bloody house plants. you need to make it up to me though.' Phil sighed in relief when Louise replied, glad that Dan might have someone to look after him. Phil looked up at the sky, admiring the lovely shade, and promptly tripped. Phil groaned, he didn't want to deal with this. But a whiff of the plant made Phil smile a little. It was one of the plants they needed.  
\---  
Dan noticed that Phil was gone when the movie ended, and saw the paper just before he really panicked. He picked it up, and read the short explanation on where Phil had gone and why, and placed it down with a sigh before realising that he could hear the door opening. Phil had said he wasn't going to be back until the next day, did he forget something? Dan vanished. Maybe it was a murderer. Dan laughed inwardly. It's not like a murderer could do anything to him. But the footsteps were light, and he could hear muttering about 'Phil and his endless plants', so he figured Phil had asked them to take care of his, admittedly, massive collection of house plants. So when Louise walked into the room, Dan wasn't surprised at all. But he hadn't expected Sprinkle Of Glitter, so he had a bit of a start. But he wasn't surprised.  
\---  
Phil picked probably way more of the plant than he needed, and also put a sprout of it in a handy dandy little bag of dirt. He totally wasn't going to grow it. Totally. Oh well, so what if he was? It was just a plant. Just a plant. Phil put the sprout into the box he brought just to put cool plants in, and started to set up the tent. Man points, gain twelve! Phil chuckled to himself as he absolutely failed at tent. Phil eventually gave up, eating a bit of the food he brought. Dry cereal. So much dry cereal. Phil hadn't really felt like bringing actual food, so he brought all the cereal he had. Probably way more than he needed, but he didn't care. It was dry cereal, so it was fine. Phil pulled out his sleeping bag and decided to just sleep under the stars. It looked like a clear night, so he should be fine.  
\---  
Phil was coming back that day, and Dan was huddled on the couch watching anime, hearing the pouring rain in the background. He hoped Phil hadn't been caught in it, but he would dry off. Eventually. Dan heard the door, and he absolutely leapt to his feet and floated to the door quite quickly. Way more exercise than he had gotten when he was alive. Phil stumbled into the room, completely soaked, and Dan was delighted.  
" You're back!" Phil mustered a tired smile for the incredibly excited ghost.  
" I'm back. I got the plant!" Phil tried to sound happy about the plant, but only managed a halfhearted Eh voice. Dan grinned happily, but he was a bit sad that Phil had only talked of the plant. He wasn't sure what he wanted, but maybe a 'How are you?' or 'I'm happy to see you!' would have been better than 'I got the plant.' Oh well. Phil had dumped the bag on the floor, were it promptly started to create a puddle, but neither of them cared. Phil hugged Dan with all his might, and Dan couldn't be happier. Phil smiled when they broke away, because Dan was practically glowing. Phil smiled back, then looked down and groaned. " I have to take a shower. I slept without the tent, and it started pouring at about four." Dan snorted.  
" Why did you sleep without the tent?"  
" I wanted to watch the stars!"  
" Couldn't get the tent up?"  
" Couldn't get the tent up." Phil tilted his head. Dan really was cute. He could just lean a bit forward and... No. He needed to shower. That could wait. Phil put an arm around Dan quickly, then headed off towards his bedroom to get clean clothes. Dan had seen the quick look in Phil's eyes, and was a bit disappointed when Phil didn't lean in and kiss him, but maybe Phil didn't feel that way? Dan wasn't sure.  
\---  
Dan had read most of Phil's books, except the horror novels, and they had incredibly similar tastes in almost everything. The only thing Dan found different was the fact Phil actually liked scary movies, and Dan couldn't live through a single one. But, he didn't have to, am I right? But Dan felt a huge crush on the older boy developing, and he really didn't know how to deal with it. He didn't want a crush on AmazingPhil, but love is not a choice. He would deal with it later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valerian is used as a sedative, and the one that is toxic is fatal. Don't eat it. Fun plant facts!


	5. ' Why did you order this?'

Phil was out trying to find plants again, this time with instructions for the thrice blasted tent and an umbrella. Dan was reading a new book Phil had bought. It was really quite interesting, but the descriptions of ghosts were hysterical to Dan. They were incredibly off, and Dan had to make sure no one was around after a few violent laugh attacks. Louise would come by every few days to water Phil's plants, but Dan had a suspicion that Phil just had her come by to make sure Dan hadn't destroyed everything yet. Louise would come, water the plants, and mutter incessantly about the number of house plants Phil had, and Dan had to agree. It had actually expanded, a every time Phil went 'questing', as he called it, he brought back more plants. Some of them were the plants he was searching for, others were just plants Phil had thought were pretty. Dan was a little hurt Phil hadn't just asked him to water the plants, but there was that sneaking feeling Phil did it to keep an eye on Dan.  
\---  
Dan had huffed angrily when Phil had gotten out of his shower the day he came home with the first plant. Phil had literally gotten out of the shower and then stared Dan down and told him he was leaving the next day to go find more plants. Phil had come and gone several times, sometimes bringing back something for Dan. It was just a book or a shirt or a notebook, but Dan loved all of them. He had started making the spare bedroom into something more his own, with a black bookshelf and the random piano that was there when Dan had moved in, all those years ago. Phil would help occasionally, moving the piano and a dresser he had ordered into the room. Louise was warned not to go into that room, as it was 'a mess', or so Phil said. Dan was grateful for the thoughtful action, even though it was also so Phil wouldn't have to explain to Louise about Dan actually being a ghost and not just a corpse six feet under. Dan chuckled lightly at the 'terrifying' and completely inaccurate description of the ghost butler. It was hilarious. Dan looked up when he heard the door. He hoped it was Phil, but it was most likely Louise. Dan set the book down, sliding the same bookmark that Phil had put in the first book. Dan vanished, slowly gliding through the walls to find... Yep, Louise. She held the watering can in one hand, and she poked the soil of a small fern with the other. Deciding that it needed water, she lifted the watering can and poured a some-what larger than what was needed amount of water. Louise nodded in satisfaction, then blew her hair out of her face and stepped back. She really didn't mind the plants, and she hadn't managed to kill one yet, but she was totally going to use it to find why Phil was out so much lately. Oh, sweet leverage!  
\---  
Louise whistled a little tune as she put the small watering can in the small kitchen on the counter. She would probably almost drown some plants the next visit, so she left it out. It constantly bothered Dan, because it simply didn't fit the aesthetic of the apartment. Oh well. He had put it away once, and Louise was lost for a while when she had come back and had no memory of putting it away. It was actually quite entertaining, to Dan, watching her stare at the space on the counter were she had placed the watering can before scrabbling to find it. But Dan didn't do it again, knowing Phil would give him an incredibly disapproving look when he would describe the look on Louise's face. Eh.  
\---  
Louise was just about done. She had watered the plants, and was almost to the door when she thought about looking in the 'chamber of secrets', the spare bedroom. If it was a mess, so be it, but it had piqued Louise's curiosity, so she decided to go look. It couldn't hurt, right? Louise went back up the stairs, heading down the hall towards the bedrooms. Just a peek...  
\---  
Dan was in the kitchen, so he didn't hear Louise leave, or rather, her lack of leaving. He knew Phil might be coming back later that day, so Dan had decided that he was going cook something nice. Dan laughed inwardly at how very domestic it all was. He grabbed a plate and...  
" JESUS ON A MOTHERFUCKING CHRIST BOAT!" The entire stack of plates fell with a tremendous crash of breaking porcelain.  
\---  
Louise had her hand on the doorknob of the forbidden room when she heard a loud shout and a resounding smash. Louise froze. Was there someone in the apartment with her? She let go of the doorknob, which she had been clutching unknowingly. Louise crept stealthily down the hall, towards the kitchen, were the ruckus had come from. Louise paused in the doorway before peering into the kitchen and seeing a bunch of plate shrapnel all over the floor, and a plate floating in midair. Louise screamed, and the last thing she saw before she fainted was the plate turning to face her.  
\---  
Dan was panicking(and he wasn't even at the disco). He though Louise had left, but apparently not. He had dropped the plates, and then as he stared at the pile of plate chunks, he heard a scream. When he turned, Louise fainted. Great. Dan put the plate he was holding down on the counter, gently, and floated over to Louise. He quickly found her phone, and turned it on. Pass code. Dammit. Dan stuck his tongue out in concentration, a habit Phil found adorable. Dan tapped out a few ideas, finally trying 'glitterinos'. It worked. Dan got to the contacts, promptly calling Phil.  
" Phil? Hi, it's Dan. Yeah, this is Louise's phone, but she fainted, so..." Dan talked to Phil for a few minutes, missing that voice way more than he'd like to admit. Dan nodded, even though Phil couldn't see i. " Thanks Phil. How soon will you be back?" Dan rolled his eyes at the answer. Before Louise woke up? That could be in a few minutes or in a few hours. Urg.  
\---  
Phil arrived sooner rather than later, a fact Dan was very grateful for. Dan had really no idea how to deal with this, but Phil was true to his word and showed up before Louise woke up. He helped Dan lift her onto the couch, both of them were incredibly weak, and helped Dan clean up the plate fiasco. It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, this is a complete shit chapter. I am so sorry. I was super tired, in my defense. Disclaimer: People view ghosts in a variety of ways. I am not saying how you view ghosts is wrong, this is simply how I see ghosts. I wrote Dan as finding other writings of ghosts as funny, but yeah. I'm not a ghost, so I don't know.


	6. ' You have got to be kidding me.'

Louise woke slowly to the smell of coffee and the sound of chattering. It sounded like Phil and...someone else? Louise didn't know. She sat up, groaning as her back popped multiple times. How long had she been laying there?  
" Louise! You're awake!" Phil's face appeared in Louise's vision, and she nodded slowly.  
" How long...?" Louise started, her voice rough. Phil grinned.  
" Only a few hours. You okay? Dan said you fainted." Louise paled suddenly. Dan? Shit.  
" Who is Dan?" Phil frowned, hearing the fear and anger in Louise's voice.  
" Um, well, this is complicated." Phil averted his eyes from Louise's smouldering ones.  
" I can tell." That voice was incredibly flat, and Phil didn't like it one bit. " What have you been keeping from me?"  
" Well, Dan... Dan's my flatmate. He, uh, is also kind dead. Only sort of, though!" Phil panicked a little. How was he supposed to explain this?  
" Only sort of dead? Phil, there's dead. And alive. There isn't really a middle ground!" Louise was incredulous. What on earth was Phil talking about? Was he high or something?  
" Not quite?" Dan watched the interaction from his vantage point in the doorway, and he decided it was time to break in. Louise jumped, and if she was a dog her hackles would have raised in that split second. Phil looked at Dan, and Dan nodded imperceptibly. " Hi. I'm Dan, and, uh, yeah." Dan disappeared, and Louise's eyes popped. He reappeared, and Louise looked dangerously close to fainting again. A boy, nay, full grown man, had just vanished and then come back. It was unnatural.  
" Eeep!" The tiniest little squeak ever escaped Louise's lips. Dan looked a bit sheepish, and Phil started rubbing Louise's back to calm her down. After all, she didn't like surprises at all. And this was nothing if not a surprise. Louise breathed in, then out, then in, then... Nope. Her brain completely canceled out and she fell backwards, her hair splaying gracefully around her. The blonde and pink hairs tickled Phil as Louise fell past, and he sneeze-snuffled. Dan snorted.  
" Well, I think she took that well."  
\---  
Louise curled a bit, snuggling into the blue green duvet. Was it Phil's? It was quite warm. Louise stretched experimentally, and promptly fell off the couch. Dan heard the thump, and poked his head through the wall to check on Louise.  
" Are you alright?"  
" M'fine. Wait." Louise sat up, seeing Dan's head in the wall above the sofa. " You're a ghost. I swear to god." Dan was a bit confused as to why Louise was stating it like that. It wasn't bad. It was just... Different.  
" What about it? You're alive." Louise rolled her eyes. The attitude in this one! No wonder Phil liked him.  
" If you hurt him in any way..." Louise's voice was a low growl, and Dan's eyes widened. Was she talking about Phil? Dan felt cold.  
" I will never hurt him in any way. I swear." Dan's voice was almost a whisper. Louise nodded, hoping that he would keep that promise. She couldn't bear to see Phil hurt, not after Charlie.  
" Thank you."  
" Louise! Are you alright?" Phil reached the lounge and looked in to the weirdest thing he had seen all day. Louise was on the floor, cocooned in the duvet, a slow flush creeping up her cheeks, and Dan had his head stuck through the wall and his hair was sticking up in various directions. Was there something Phil was missing? He felt a bit hurt as Dan turned a darker shade. He thought they had something, but if Dan felt something for Louise and not him... It was much too early to deal with this. The sun wasn't even up yet.  
" Yeah, I'm okay, Phil. I just rolled off the couch." Phil nodded. He had almost forgotten that he asked Louise a question.  
" Then I'll leave you two to it." Phil let only the smallest amount of disgust creep into his voice. Louise's eye's widened. Did Phil think there was something between her and Dan? Things just got more complicated.  
" Phil, there's nothing like that going on! I fell, and Dan just wanted to see if I was okay." Louise was defending her self valiantly, but Phil wasn't buying it. At all.  
" Yeah. Have fun." Phil strode out of the room, anger and betrayal traveling every inch of his body.  
\---  
Dan sighed. He never wanted this to happen. He had a massive crush on Phil, couldn't Phil see that? This was terrible. Louise had tried to explain, but Phil obviously didn't think it was true. Louise was just making Dan promise not to hurt Phil! Wouldn't that be awkward to explain to Phil? It was no use. Dan drifted towards Phil's room. Light was shining along the bottom, so Dan knew Phil wasn't asleep. He couldn't stand sleeping with the lights on. Dan disappeared, 'disable visibility' as he thought of it, and drifted through the door. Phil was sat on the bed, holding his head in his hands and shaking. Dan felt terrible. He float-sat next to Phil and put an arm around him.  
\---  
Phil froze as he felt a light presence settle itself on his shoulders. It couldn't be anyone except Dan, because he had come in silently, and the door creaked like the very demons from Hell possessed it. Phil looked up, and Dan became visible again.  
" Hey." Phil shuddered. Dan's voice was full of concern and empathy. How could he have that much emotion towards Phil when he liked Louise?  
" Hey." Phil's voice quavered, and tears were still finding their way down his face. Dan wiped them away with a ghostly hand.  
" Wanna tell me what's bothering you?"  
" Not really." Dan nodded, but he looked disappointed. Phil drew in a shaky breath. " What's up between you and Louise?" Dan looked absolutely shocked.  
" Me and Louise?"  
" Yeah. What I walked in on."  
" There's nothing between me and Louise. Is that what's on your mind?"Phil looked down at his lap. His hands were shaking. How interesting. How had he developed so many feelings towards someone he had only known a short while? It had taken months of dates to feel anything towards Charlie. Weird how love worked sometimes. Dare he call it love? How strange.  
" Yeah." Phil whispered. He looked back up at Dan, and found Dan's eyes swimming with compassion. Phil held still as Dan leaned towards him until their faces were only inches apart.  
" Don't let it worry you." Dan closed the gap between them, closing his eyes as he met Phil's lips. It was magical.  
\---  
Phil barely knew what was happening as Dan leaned in and kissed him. It was soft and he could almost not feel it, but it was perfect in every way. Phil closed his eyes as he felt Dan lean in, and he leaned forward just the slightest bit. Their lips moved in unison. It was the most perfect thing Phil had felt, like, ever. Why had he ever though Louise and Dan had a thing? It was stupid, Phil realised, as he smiled into the kiss. Dan felt the smile and his entire demeanor lightened. He wasn't sure if Phil had liked him back, but he was pretty sure that he did after that little jealous meltdown. It was sweet, really, how Phil was so jealous. Cute. Phil broke away first, because he needed to breath, and Dan tilted his head a little.  
" Still worried about me and Louise?" Dan smiled. Phil snorted.  
" Not after that kiss, I'm not." Dan nodded. He figured. Phil looked a Dan, adoration absolutely spilling from those beautiful blue green eyes. Dan could get lost in them. Phil grinned at Dan. Dan was watching Phil with an enraptured look, and Phil just couldn't get over how cute Dan was. His brown eyes were faded and transparent, but beautiful none the less.  
\---  
Louise was desperately trying to block out the incredibly loud smooching noises. She was pretty sure they couldn't have sex, but the kissing alone was loud enough.  
" WILL YOU BE QUIET? YOU CAN DO THAT IN THE MORNING!" Louise shouted, fed up. The noises stopped immediately, and then Dan started laughing. His loud goose cackle was infectious, and soon Phil was laughing along. Louise groaned and buried her head under her pillow. This was going to be a long night indeed.


	7. ' Half way there.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long! Imma throw excuses at y'all cause I don't have a real reason except I forgot. So... Yeah. Sorry! And I'm sorry I didn't write any adventuring chapters! I might write a stand-alone adventure? If y'all want.

Phil woke up in a burrito like position, his duvet completely wound around him. It was ridiculous. How did that even manage to happen? Seriously, it was like a ghost was fucking with it just to annoy him. Phil frowned. A ghost may very well have been.  
" Dan? Did you mess with my duvet?"  
" Why, Phillip darling, I'm sure I have no idea of what you're talking about." Phil heard Louise laugh. Of course she would.  
" Daniel, deary, bring me some coffee to pacify me for this mysteriously tangled blanket, will you?" Louise laughed even harder, and Phil felt a grin spread across his face ad he heard Dan groan. Phil untangled his duvet while he waited for his coffee. A One Direction mug, of course, banged against the door.  
" Dammit! I forgot stuff can't go through walls!" The door creaked open and Dan tried to glower at Phil, who had the biggest smirk on his face. It didn't last long though, as Dan started grinning at how freaking adorable Phil was. Dan set the mug on the nightstand and waved a cheery goodbye as he floated backwards.  
" Wait, where are you going? Get back here!" Dan snickered. He was honestly expecting that. Phil beckoned him over, moving over to one side of his bed so Dan could sit-float. Dan snorted as he settled himself. He was currently taller than Phil, and Phil knew it.  
" Why, Dear, Phillip, do I assume you want my glorious company?" Phil smiled.  
" And to make sure last night wasn't my imagination."  
" Why? Whatever happened last night?" Phil's smile drooped.  
" Was it just a dream?" Dan looked a little concerned as Phil's mood dropped from happy to confused and sad in less than a minute.  
" No, Phil, it wasn't a dream. Do you want me to prove it?" Phil brightened up promptly.  
" However will you do that, Daniel?"  
" Like this." And at that Dan leaned down a little bit to kiss Phil on the lips. Phil absolutely glowed with happiness when they broke away, Phil gasping a little for breath. Oh, right, living beings needed oxygen. Dan grinned at Phil. He looked like a puppy with those big eyes.  
" So glad I wasn't dreaming. I have to go find more plants." Phil grinned blindingly at Dan's dumbfounded face.  
" Still?" Dan whined. Phil nodded ruefully. Only a few more ingredients, then they'd be done.  
" Luckily, though, I think we might be able to partially resurrect you." Dan jumped off the bed.  
" Well? What are we waiting for?" Phil had to laugh at the boy's obvious impatience. It was cute. Phil slowly heaved himself out of his bed and followed Dan down the hallway.  
\---  
Phil stared blankly at the paper in front of him. Louise drank her tea with a look of amusement, as Dan was doing the ghost equivalent of pacing. Phil had no idea how to do this. ' Place four handfuls of skunk cabbage into a cauldron half full of boiling water. Sprinkle the dried foxglove in after the skunk cabbage dissolves.' Wait, the skunk cabbage was supposed to dissolve? Weird. Phil mentally shook himself and began to mix the weird concoction. He had a beginners degree in Witchcraft, after all. That happened on one of his weirder trips. Not that they weren't all weird. Phil crushed the foxglove between his hands. They had been drying it for a few weeks, and it was brittle and crumpled. He let it spread over the cauldron, watching as the brownish powder turned the almost green liquid a luminescent blue. That was crazy. Phil read the next instruction. ' Add the rosary peas carefully. Only add one at a time. Make sure the pits are removed.' Phil struggled with the removal of the pits until Louise threw her hands in the air and did it for him. Dan giggled next to Phil, and Phil grinned a little at how cute Dan was. Louise was done quite fast, so Phil proceeded to add all four of the incredibly toxic berries. ' Add the Valerian slowly. Avoid touching the rosary peas with the sprigs.' Phil edged the plant into the strange concoction. This was tricky, considering how clumsy Phil could be at the most inconvenient of moments. He dropped the plant in at the very last moment and watched as a cloud of smoke? steam? rose from the strange soup of plants. Dan had ordered some bones for the weird soup-like potion they were making, and Phil added those next. The liquid in the cauldron turned dark. The clouds rising off the liquid were slowly turning an ominous black. Phil looked down at the paper clutched in his hand. ' When the smoke turns completely black, the first part is done. You can use this to partially resurrect the ghost in question.' Phil looked back at the clouds of smoke. They were quite dark. He couldn't see through it, so he figured that it was good. Phil turned off the stove burner underneath the cauldron. How was he supposed to use this? Phil glanced back down. ' Have the ghost in question drink at least a cup of the resurrection potion.' Phil stared at the text, uncomprehending.  
" Dan. You have to drink this."  
" _What _?" Dan was shocked. Ghosts could eat and drink, but it was highly unpleasant.__  
" Yeah. At least a cup." Dan groaned. Blegh. Phil pulled a mug out of the cupboard and scooped out a mugful of the oddly thick liquid. It dripped down the outside of the mug, and Phil handed it to Dan quickly, to avoid getting the glop on him. If there was one thing he learned from his Witchcraft degree, it was never touch any potion you make until someone else did first. Dan took the mug and stared down at it for a moment before tipping it down his throat. He gagged almost immediately. That was worse than anything he had ever had, living or dead. He swallowed, then attempted to down some more. It was worse this time. He covered his mouth and tried desperately not to vomit. He struggled, but eventually swallowed the rest of the horrible mixture. He set the mug down just before he collapsed.  
\---  
When Dan woke up, he wondered how he got on the couch, how he lost his memory of getting on the couch, and how he could feel the couch. It wasn't comfortable. He shifted a bit and fell of the couch. Hm. It really was easy to fall off of. Then he realised. He had fallen. Gravity actually worked.  
" JESUS FUCKING CHRIST BOATS I'M ALIVE." Were the first words out of his mouth after he had woken up.  
" Dan! You're awake!" Phil poked his head through the open door and grinned at him. " The potion worked! Sort of!" Dan blinked. Sort of? What did that mean?  
" What?"  
" Well, like, you're solid, kinda, but you're really light, and when we brought you in here, you kept drifting down almost through our arms but you would stop a few centimeters in. So... Sort of alive? You were breathing! Lightly, but still!" Phil had entered the room and sat cross legged on the floor in front of Dan while he explained. He had a massive grin, and it was adorable. Dan grinned along with him. This was great. He was almost alive! Phil was puzzled when Dan suddenly frowned and looked scared, though. " Hey. Is something wrong?" Dan looked down.  
" Yeah." Dan almost whispered. He looked up at Phil, and Phil marveled at how cute Dan was when he was more opaque.   
" What is it? Can I help?" Dan smiled weakly at how energetic and helpful Phil was.  
" Um, well, part of the resurrection is me recreating my own death, right?" Phil looked surprised, then nodded slowly. Dan hadn't told him that. " Well, I don't want to go back through that. It was terrible, Phil! I purposely overdosed on drugs and alcohol!" Dan looked at Phil, his eyes wide and pleading. Tears were beginning to leak out of the corners of his eyes. Phil reached forward, and wiped them off of Dan's cheeks and holding his face at the same time. Dan leaned into the touch, grateful for the comfort and actually being able to feel it.  
" Hey. It'll be okay. I promise." Dan looked into Phil's beautiful blue eyes and nodded. It didn't matter. Even if Phil was wrong, and they somehow fucked up, it would be worth meeting Phil.   
\---  
Phil stood in the hall outside the apartment and bit his lip. They didn't know if Dan could exit the apartment at all without pain, so the atmosphere was a bit tense. Dan cringed and placed his hand just outside the door. His face cleared, and he stepped in to the hallway. Phil grinned brightly and pulled him into a hug. Thank God he was able to go adventuring. Phil grabbed Dan's hand and towed him down the infinite stairs. This was going to be much more fun with Dan. And maybe Dan could curb the plant problem.


	8. ' More plants? Really, Phil?'

Dan struggled up the hill, Phil laughing at him from the top. When had he gotten so out of shape? Oh, maybe when he was dead. Dan heaved himself to the top of the fairly shallow slope and laid down dramatically.  
" I can't do this Phil. Leave me and go on ahead without me." Dan smushed his face into the dust and sneezed promptly after. Being half-solid had its perks, but breathing wasn't necessarily one of them. Oh, sure, he could smell now, but the inhalation sucked(literally). Phil laughed at Dan, before pulling him to his feet.  
" Oh, drama Dan, however could I do that? There's such a pretty spot for camping right down this side of the incredibly difficult hill." Phil smirked at Dan's glare, and Dan looked down the hill. His eyes widened. There was a little stream making it's way through a grassy glade, surrounded by flowering cherry trees. As if on cue, a dove flew into one of the trees and started singing. Dan grinned at Phil, and vaulted off of the hill. Phil gasped and reached out in panic, but Dan was falling gently and he looked absolutely angelic. Lesser gravity was definitely a perk. Dan turned midair, as if in slow motion, and grinned at Phil. Phil watched as Dan landed gently and laughed at Phil's dumbstruck face.  
" Well? Are you coming?" Phil rolled his eyes, breaking his daze and following him, trying not to trip on roots and rocks along the way. Dan sprawled in the grass, faking a groan as Phil took his sweet time on his way down. Phil laughed and joined him at the bottom of he slope. He dropped the bags and settled himself, gazing at the beautiful sight beside him. Dan didn't even notice until Phil kissed him. Dan's eyes lit up, and he turned his head to kiss Phil on the lips. They shared a sweet moment before the dove pooped on Phil. Phil screeched, and Dan started laughing. And laughing. Phil stepped into the small stream and took off his shirt, the piece of clothing the dove had pooped on. Dan stopped laughing and drew in a quick breath. How was Phil so beautiful? Phil put the offending piece of cloth under a rock, letting the stream wash the bird poop out. He stepped out of the river and saw Dan's expression. Absolute adoration and wonder. It was cute, and Phil posed. Dan promptly lost the look. Phil snorted, and began ruffling through the bags to find a clean shirt. He pulled out a shirt that had a gengar face on it, and pulled it on.  
" So, Danny boi, are we setting up this tent or not?"  
" Did you just call me 'Boi'?"  
" No." Phil looked off to the side, and Dan knew Phil was lying.  
" You totally did." Phil grinned.  
" Let's set up this tent." Dan shook his head. Phil would never live down 'boi'. Ever.  
\---  
Several hours later, they had the tent set up. It was a two person tent, which was perfect, but it was also made for, em, _less _tall people. So that may be a problem. Phil had found some very beautiful flowers, and he had shooed Dan off so he could make a flower crown. Dan had begrudgingly wandered off, supposedly to find something edible. And not toxic. Phil wove the lovely violets together, trying not to break the brittle stems. He finished just before Dan walked into the small clearing, holding a few stray mushrooms. Phil jumped up, a grin already spreading across his face. Even the sight of Dan made Phil happy. Dan dropped the mushrooms on one of the bags, and Phil placed the flower crown on Dan's chocolate hair. Dan looked startled momentarily, then smirked at Phil.__  
" Am I adorable yet?" Phil rolled his eyes and pulled Dan into a brief kiss.  
" You were already adorable, bear." Dan snuggled under Phil's chin, and sighed happily. He was content with his place in life. Or death, but Dan really didn't like thinking about that.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugggggggg.... Guys, I am so tired. I literally cannot. I'm sorry I'm just giving you this little tiny short chapter but my brain refuses to write properly.
> 
> Get more sleep than me, Y'all!


	9. 'So Dan exists now'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY MOTHERFUCKERS GUESS WHOS BACK 
> 
> imma finish this shit up in this chapter(probably) 
> 
> so ta josh imma fucking avoid WDYG

Louise tried not to drown Phil's plants. She really did, but at least one of the cacti choked and died.

 

Dan was pretty sure Phil didn't notice when he chucked the dead one and bought a new one to replace it.

 

After all, Phil was busy brewing a life potion.

 

And the fucking thing took like a week to make.

 

So Phil slaved over that, Dan took over when Phil crashed, and Louise occasionally made food.

 

" Dan?"

 

" Yeah, Lou?"

 

" Should I water this cacti? It looks a little dry."

 

" You watered that one yesterday. I doubt it needs more."

 

" It miiiight..."

 

" Louise, it'a a cactus, they don't need much.."

 

" Imma water it."

 

" Um, okay?"

 

" How about this one?" Louise slowly lead Dan away from the kitchen, and then lowered her voice. " Do you think we can get Phil to sleep through the night? You don't need as much sleep, if any, and he can't live off coffee alone.."

 

" I knock him out when something doesn't need stirring, and we drag him to the bed?"

 

" Deal."

 

It took a few hours until there was a part of the potion that just needed to sit. Things went quickly after that; Phil put down his spoon, Dan hugged him and used his semi opacity to pass through Phil's chest and slow his heart enough to conk him out(he had practiced on Louise), and then helped Louise lug the giant man into his bedroom. Louise ushered Dan back into the kitchen to deal with the potion, and Louise pulled Phil's covers up to his chin and followed Dan.

 

Dan finished the potion while Phil slept for about eighteen hours and Louise puttered around the mess that was the flat, occasionally watering the odd plant and picking up coffee cups.

 

Phil woke up when a fully solid Daniel Howell collapsed on his chest.

 

"  _Dan?"_

 

" I finished it!"

 

" I can see that! Wait, wasn't there a bit about recreating your own-"

 

" Shh. Louise helped. It was just as awful as the last time." Phil pulled Dan close, marveling in how he didn't sink through Dan. 

 

" You're here."

 

" I'm here." The slam of the front door startled both of them, setting Phil into giggles.

 

" I'm so glad."

 

" Same."

 

~ _Fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why did i say y'all every fucking chapter i'm in so much pain i am so so sorry
> 
> i was so afraid of offending someone it's terrible
> 
> HAHAHAHA NO QUALMS ABOUT THAT NOW
> 
> but yeah 
> 
> love you all
> 
> I ACTUALLY FINISHED SOMETHING HA


End file.
